Anytime, Anywhere
by radredknuxfan
Summary: Mordecai's life is turned upside down when his father is killed in a hit-and-run. How will he be able to cope with losing his dad, as well as suddenly becoming a victim? And will his friends be able to help him through his ordeal? Please read & review! Thanks.


Okay, the origin of this idea is a little bit weird. It actually came to me during one of my criminal justice classes in college while I was watching a video. Anyway, I figured it could be interesting to see how one of the characters (in this case, Mordecai) would respond when faced with a traumatic event. But you pretty much got the gist of what I'm going for in the summary, so I'd like to apologize in advance if this gets too teachy. Oh, and for those of you who are interested, the title is based on the principle that a crime can happen completely without warning no matter where a person goes. Also, the abbreviation happens to be the same as a certain recovery group that you may all know of, so I think that's interesting. So now that the explanation's done, let's get going!

* * *

It was a quiet night in the city. Not too many people were around, as they would all be in bed around this hour. However, there is still one person up at this hour, and that would be a man clearly driving under the influence of alcohol, as there wasn't a second when the man wasn't swerving wildly around the road.

Luckily for him, the police hadn't yet caught wind of his escapades, so he was free to do whatever he wanted to for the moment. Little did he know that he wasn't the only one on the road at that moment.

Without realizing it, the man's car slammed into something soft, sending it spinning over the car and down to the pavement. This ended up catching the man's attention, and he slammed on the brakes, the car spinning to the side a bit as it came to a stop.

Frightened, the drunken man got out of his car and went over to see what he hit. However, he only managed to catch a little bit of blue before he ran back to his car and drove off, not wanting to be around when the police came.

* * *

It was another normal day at the park, and Mordecai and Rigby were busy playing video games as usual. Mordecai has won yet another round of Alley Fight Dudes, and Rigby was desperately trying to get another round out of him, thinking that he was finally going to beat him this time.

"Come on dude, this is really starting to get a little sad. Can't you just admit for once in your life that you're not going to beat me?"

But Rigby wasn't listening to Mordecai's pleas.

"Please, Mordecai. Just one more round. I know I can beat you this time."

Mordecai groaned in defeat, knowing just how persistent Rigby can be.

"Ugh, fine. One more round, and then we're doing something else."

That round didn't come, though, as the phone suddenly rang. Mordecai immediately paused the game against Rigby's protests and got up to answer it, but Benson got there first, as he was currently in the kitchen.

Mordecai was about to go back to his seat and return to playing the game, but Benson called out to him.

"Hey Mordecai! You've got a phone call."

Intrigued, Mordecai walked into the kitchen and took the phone from Benson, who returned to reading the paper at the table.

"Hello?"

"Mordecai? This is your mom."

Mordecai certainly didn't expect to get a call from his mother, considering she never really had before. It was then that he heard sobbing coming from the other end.

"Mom, what's going on? It sounds like you're crying."

"Oh, Mordecai, your father was hit by a car last night. He's really hurt, and the doctor told me he isn't going to make it."

As Mordecai's mother dissolved into sobs, Mordecai stood there in disbelief. His dad dying? He knew full well that everyone dies eventually, but he would have never expected his dad to die this early in life.

After composing himself, he began talking to his mom again, hoping to get some information.

"Mom, which hospital is he at? I want to come see him."

"But Mordecai, I'm not even sure if you're going to make it in time! There's no telling how long he has left."

"I don't care. Even if I don't make it in time, I still want to see him."

Mordecai's mother relented and told Mordecai the address for the hospital they were staying at. After Mordecai hung up the phone, he turned towards Benson, who was reading the paper.

"Hey Benson, I need to borrow the cart."

"Mind telling me what for?" asked Benson from behind the paper.

It was at that moment when the reality of the situation registered in his brain, and he felt like he was about to cry. But he managed to hold himself together to reply to Benson.

"Because my dad's dying, and I want to go see him before he goes." he said through choked sobs.

Benson immediately dropped the paper and rushed over to comfort Mordecai as the tears began to come down. It only lasted a few seconds, though, as Mordecai soon straightened up and cleared his throat.

"Thanks, Benson. I just needed to get that out of my system. So, would you mind if I borrow the cart?"

"You can, but I'd rather you not go alone, especially in your emotional state. Take Rigby with you when you leave."

Mordecai considered Benson's instructions carefully. As much as he felt like he would be alright on his own, he decided that it would actually be nice to have someone to talk to, even if that someone was Rigby.

"Alright, Benson. I'll bring him along."

Benson handed Mordecai the keys to him and gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before Mordecai went back into the living room.

"Finally! Can we get back to the game now?" said Rigby.

Instead of replying, Mordecai went over and turned the television and console off.

"What the H, dude? I was about to beat you!"

Mordecai still remained calm even after hearing Rigby say that.

"You and I are going to go to the hospital to see my dad. I was going to go by myself, but Benson suggested you come along as well for moral support."

"Really? What happened to him? Is he sick?"

Mordecai sighed before replying, trying to keep himself together.

"He was hit by a car last night. The doctors don't know how much longer he has."

Rigby's face fell immediately after hearing that statement.

"Oh my god, dude. I'm really sorry to hear that. Your father was a really cool guy."

"Thanks, Rigby. We'd better get going."

Rigby jumped off of the couch and followed Mordecai out the front door and towards the carts.

* * *

During the trip over to the hospital, Mordecai and Rigby spent time trading stories about Mordecai's father and the time that the three of them spent together.

Eventually, they reached the hospital and the two of them rushed inside, almost running up to the receptionist.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

"My name's Mordecai. I'd like to see my dad if it's possible."

The receptionist began searching through the system before finally finding what she was looking for.

"I'm sorry, sir. But it appears that your father has been officially listed as deceased as of a minute ago."

Mordecai's heart sunk as he realized that he was too late. But he was still determined to see him, so he tried a different way.

"Look, can I at least see him before they take him away? I haven't seen him since last Thanksgiving."

"Hang on. Let me double check."

The receptionist pulled up all of the information on Mordecai's father and eventually found something interesting.

"Looks like you're in luck. It appears your mother has specifically requested that they hold off on removing his body until you arrived. He's in room 204, but be quick about it. The doctors really need to get him into the morgue."

"Thanks so much, miss." said Mordecai before he and Rigby went off to find his room.

Eventually, they finally reached Room 204 to find Mordecai's mother standing right outside.

"Thank you for coming, Mordecai. I'm sure he would've appreciated your visit."

Mordecai immediately went over and gave his mom a hug. As his mom began crying on his shoulder, Mordecai decided to say something he needed to get off of his chest.

"I'm sorry, Mom." he murmured.

"What? What do you mean, Mordecai?"

"I'm sorry for not being there for you guys enough. I mean, the last time I saw you guys was at Thanksgiving."

"You don't need to apologize, Mordecai. Your father and I were happy to be able to spend time with you that day."

"I know, Mom. I figured I might as well do it, though."

The hallway fell silent as the two of them resumed hugging, until Mordecai's mom noticed the presence of Rigby.

"Oh hello, Rigby. I'm assuming Mordecai told you the news?"

"Yeah, he did. I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for your loss. I loved spending time with him and Mordecai and I will miss him greatly."

"Thank you, Rigby."

Rigby nodded in return, and Mordecai and his mom finally separated.

"So, is he still in there?" asked Mordecai.

Mordecai's mother nodded, and Mordecai went inside, Rigby following close behind.

* * *

As soon as the two of them entered the room, they were met with a bit of an ugly sight.

Mordecai's father was messed up pretty bad, with multiple broken bones, a few fractures, and a lot of blood. The doctors were able to clean him up somewhat, but unfortunately they couldn't save him.

Mordecai and Rigby both sat down on chairs next to his bed, and Mordecai decided to say something, holding his hand as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, dad. I really wish I could've been there for you. Then maybe you would still be alive, and mom and I wouldn't have to be dealing with living without you."

Mordecai paused, letting in a shuddering breath before continuing.

"I'm gonna miss you, dad. I really am."

Mordecai was unable to hold it down anymore, as he began sobbing, clutching his dad's hand as he hid his face from view. Unfortunately hiding it didn't prove to help much, as Rigby's heartstrings were tugged hearing his normally cool and collected best friend break down like that.

Rigby did the only thing he could think of and gave him a hug. As much as he wasn't a very huggy person, he felt that really was the only thing that would at least help.

"Thanks, dude. I appreciate you being here for me." said Mordecai.

"Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I left you here?"

Mordecai smiled softly as he collected himself.

"Do you want to say anything, Rigby?"

Rigby paused as he considered whether he actually did have anything he wanted to say.

"Yeah, actually I do."

Rigby then scooted his chair up to the still form of Mordecai's dad and held his hand just like Mordecai did.

"Even though we're not technically related by blood, I've always considered you, your wife and Mordecai as sort of a second family. I've had a ton of fun spending time with you guys back when we were younger, and now I'm going to miss it. It was great being able to spend time with you guys back on Thanksgiving, but I kind of wish that we could do more."

After finishing, Rigby leaned back into his chair and wiped his eyes as he was also beginning to cry a little bit.

The two of them sat there reminiscing for the next few minutes until Mordecai's mother suddenly entered the room.

"Is everything alright in here, boys? I don't want to rush you, but the doctors would like to move his body so someone else can use this room."

Mordecai turned towards Rigby, silently asking if he needed to do anything else. When he nodded, Mordecai turned back towards his mom.

"I think we've said what we needed to say. Rigby and I are going to head back to the park."

The two of them stood up and headed towards the door, but not before Mordecai gave his mom another hug.

"Are you going to be alright, mom?"

"I'll manage."

"Are you sure? If you need some company, I'd be willing to spend some more time with you."

Mordecai's mother smiled softly as she replied.

"I would love that. And I'd be happy to see Rigby as well, if he's okay with it."

Mordecai looked at Rigby, waiting for his answer.

"Yeah, I'd be totally okay with it, just as long as we're not skipping work. Even considering the circumstances, Benson would blow a fuse if we left."

"Don't worry about it, you two. I wouldn't want you guys to lose your jobs because of me." said Mordecai's mother.

Mordecai and Rigby both nodded, understanding her reasoning.

"I'll make sure to give you a call later to check up on you, mom." said Mordecai.

"Thank you, Mordecai. I'll see you two later."

Mordecai and Rigby went out the door, waving goodbye to Mordecai's mother as they turned the corner and left the hospital.

* * *

When they returned to the park, Rigby noticed that Mordecai was starting to become depressed.

"You alright, Mordecai? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, I'm just worried about mom. I'd rather she not be living alone in that house, but I don't think that there's much that I can do."

Rigby paused as he considered his next words carefully.

"Well, your mom's a strong woman. I'm sure she can deal with the adversities pretty well. Besides, we did say that we would spend more time with her."

It didn't seem to cheer up Mordecai that much, so Rigby decided to change the subject.

"So, do you want to do anything?"

"No. I just want to be alone."

When they reached the house, the two of them went inside and Mordecai went upstairs into his and Rigby's room, shutting the lights off and lying in bed in silence, except for a few instances of choked sobbing.

Meanwhile, Rigby sat down on the couch downstairs, trying to figure out something to do while at the same time worrying about Mordecai's emotional state. Unfortunately, he couldn't think for too long about it, as the doorbell suddenly rang.

Rigby walked over and opened the door to reveal a police officer.

"Can I help you, officer?"

"Yes, is your name Mordecai?"

"No, my name's Rigby."

"Can I speak with Mordecai for a minute?"

"He's in his room, and I'd really rather not bother him at the moment. Can I take a message?"

The officer sighed, not happy about not being able to talk with Mordecai but he relented.

"Please let him know that I'd like to ask him a few questions about the murder of his father. We're looking into who the driver was, as well as if there was any malicious intent behind the hit-and-run."

"Yeah sure, I can do that."

The officer handed Rigby a card with his information on it.

"Here's my card. Tell him to call the number on it whenever he's ready."

Rigby thanked the officer and closed the door behind him, staring at the card as he sat down on the couch. From Mordecai's reactions since finding out about this whole thing, he figured that Mordecai thought it was an accident that the driver was too scared of going to jail to stick around and help. But now that they were talking about murder, Rigby didn't know what Mordecai was going to think now that someone may have had an intention to kill his dad.

Rigby sighed, thinking that these next few days were only going to get harder on not only Mordecai, but him and everyone else as well.


End file.
